overdue notices
by snowyseas
Summary: Sakura has been asked to tutor a certain troublemaker who broke into Dean Senju's office and got caught. She's found asleep as she's catching up on this guy's subject and she falls asleep. Waking up to the store clerk, Sakura's grey world fills with color when she meets Naruto Uzumaki. [NaruSaku] [discontinued]
1. the one with the snoring

I was on Tumblr and I saw this post with a list of AUs, and there was this one that was like, "I fell asleep in the bookstore you work at because I read so much," and I thought that it was possibly the funniest thing ever, if Naruto found Sakura like that. Unlike the other stuff I've written, this won't be painful. I was talking to a friend and I was saying I liked the idea that Sakura's favorite TV show is _Friends_, and it's sad that there are a lot of people I know that haven't seen it. That's why each chapter title follows the format of the names of the episodes! Frankly, this stuff is a little difficult for me to write because I am used to writing darker themes, so I would love for you guys to give your feedback!

\- shina

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The bell rang every hour and a half.

It was never not crowded in the hallways as people rushed to their classes, their coffee cups in one hand, their other holding onto loose sheets of paper or clear folders, eyebags getting darker and darker by the hour. Some people were there from eight in the morning until nine at night, and they _barely_ slept. Their heads slumped onto the tables during lectures and their hands shook when they tried to write down notes. Everyone was overwhelmed, everyone was more than a little freaked out about the fate of their grades each semester -

This was what finals week at Konoha National University was like.

Sakura Haruno was not one to fall prey under the pretenses of the stress other students felt, despite double-majoring in biology and chemistry. She had perfect attendance for each of her classes - even the electives that she was required to take that didn't _really_ affect her GPA - she always listened intently as she wrote down notes in her notebook with concise handwriting, she belonged to a sorority, _and_ she got enough sleep. Often, people who didn't do well under stress - like her best-friend-slash-sorority-sister - would come running to her for advice on how to stay calm so that they can do well.

Her secret?

You simply don't.

You could do everything right, but nothing would stop a person from freaking out, if they weren't provided with the right amount of preparation.

Apparently, her high school's curriculum was one that was very different from the local high schools of Konoha, and she wasn't sure whether she should be grateful or not. She recalled the countless nights she was awake until four in the morning working on a four-thousand word essay that she had been working on for six months, and yet somehow still not being able to finish it properly. The nights she worked on biology and chemistry labs that required your full attention were nothing compared to these tiny assignments at university. She had done it all - cried, screamed into a pillow, ate ice cream until she felt the calories kick in, paced around her room as she thought of excuses as to why her work was late - but in the end, she turned in her assignments and received more than a good enough score.

This was otherwise referred to as _hell. _

"Sakura, you got a minute?"

Turning around, Sakura saw her chemistry professor - a man in his early to mid-thirties with a scar on his left eye, though still managed to be _quite_ attractive because of his build and classy demeanor - and began walking towards him. She entered his office and he closed the door, motioning for her to take a seat. She leaned back as though she had been in this office a million times - which she has.

"How are finals treating you?" he asked.

"Just fine, as always."

"Not stressed?"

"Professor Hatake, you know what program I came from. I don't get stressed like that anymore."

"Of course," he chuckled, "but Dean Senju specifically asked me to make sure you were doing alright."

"I'm fine," she answered, flashing a bright smile.

Nodding, Professor Hatake sifted through a few folders, and without even having to look at what was written on the front, Sakura already knew what he was about to ask her. She sat up straighter and took a deep breath through her nose, ready to reject the offer he was about to make her.

"Do you know anyone in international relations?"

Sakura blinked.

"Ino Yamanaka, but that's it. She's my sorority sister."

"This is a guy, and he's a third-year, like you are."

"And?" Sakura prompted when she noticed her teacher's brow twitch.

"He's a bit of a troublemaker… and his grades aren't good."

"At all?"

"At all."

There was a moment of silence before understanding dawned onto Sakura, causing her to exhale a breath of air as though she was exhausted, as though this question has been asked to her countless times - which it has.

"You want me to tutor him."

"He's on probation."

"From committing a federal offense?" she asked, worry prickling her spine.

"More like from committing an on-campus offense."

At that, she couldn't help but let out a soft snort. Everyone at KNU was aware of the fact that Dean Senju was a bit of a demon when it came to punishment, but she had never heard of someone going on _probation_ before. Figuring he must have done something that crossed so many different boundaries, she leaned forward, a wordless curiosity for the request.

"What did he do?" she asked, curious.

"Tried to break into her office for his grades from last semester. Tried to change it."

She raised her eyebrows, mostly because she was a little impressed that he managed to get past security in the first place.

"He's the nephew of an old friend of hers," Professor Hatake added as he poured himself a glass of tea.

"And he's at KNU for that reason?"

"No. He did well in high school, but I guess university got to him."

To be frank, Sakura was looking forward to ending her day with her final class - which had just ended - and go back to the sorority house to enjoy a few episodes of _Friends_, that TV show she had seen countless times that she memorized each line by now. She rubbed her temples softly and let out a sigh, feeling a little annoyed that they asked this of her practically every week. Moreover, it was _finals_ week - did they think she had no studying to do?

Of course, she had already _done_ it, but that wasn't the point. Repetition was key to studying.

"He's in international relations, though. Shouldn't you be asking Ino?"

"The girl that everyone knows stresses out the most?"

Sakura laughed, "I see your point."

"Just stop by the bookstore and flip through his textbooks," her teacher said nonchalantly.

"_What_?" she said incredulously. "With all due respect, Professor Hatake, I'm a different _major_."

"You're also one of the brightest kids here."

Wracking her brain for an excuse, she thought of her egotistic ex-boyfriend, who, despite being an overly jealous guy that forbade her from speaking to anyone that belonged to the male gender, was also one of the few people who was smarter than her. He had a lot of patience, as well, despite popular belief. Everyone was intimidated by him, but the few that were tutored by him always informed her that he was a gentle teacher, and she couldn't help but smile - that was one of his good qualities, at least.

"What about Sasuke?"

The silver-haired professor cocked an eyebrow at her in amusement.

"The Uchiha kid? Is your coffee spiked?"

"Come _on_, he's a much better teacher than me!"

"Says who?"

"Everyone tutored by him."

"Well," he began, "we tried asking him. He refused."

At the thought of Sasuke rejecting the notion of tutoring someone, Sakura began to feel a little nervous. She waited for her teacher to say more, but he merely flipped through a few more papers and drank his tea, never meeting her eyes. This was his tactic, though: he gave her the illusion that she had a choice and could speak her mind, but they both know what the outcome would be - she would definitely tutor this kid.

"Fine," she groaned, exasperated, "I'll do it."

"Wonderful," Professor Hatake grinned, his dark eyes practically lighting up.

"When do I start?"

"Next week."

* * *

Professor Hatake wasn't kidding about looking up the textbooks for international relations. After hours of looking at Ino's notes, Sakura sighed and gave up, deciding to go to the bookstore. Ino had protested immensely, saying that her notes were good enough for her to understand, and the whole ordeal turned into a pointless argument that ended with them apologizing and bidding their catch you laters, with Ino taking a few deep breaths to help her anxiety attacks before she buried herself in her notes again.

One day, Sakura swore she teach Ino how to take notes that were relevant.

The KNU bookstore was always filled with students during finals week. They were all rushing to look for reference books or extra stationary in case they ran out of ink during their exams. Sakura watched as countless students flocked to the Math section, and for the tenth time that week, thanked whatever God was out there for having her heart sway towards double-majoring biology and chemistry. It was a lot of work, but Sakura had always wanted to be a doctor, and clearly the choice suit her well. So far, she was at the top of her class, and they were starting their theses soon. It would take another five years before she would become a full-fledged doctor, but that didn't matter - as long as she got the outcome she wanted, she didn't mind the workload.

Her eyes scanned the aisle with the textbooks for liberal studies and she fell to her knees as she used her fingers to look for the three titles of the textbooks she knew she'd have to read. This process was always a pain, especially when the person she would have to tutor wasn't even in the same department as her. She sat on the carpeted floor and began reading the first textbook as she leaned her chin in her palm. The noise around her began to quiet down and she knew instantly that the bell had rang without even checking her cell phone. She leaned against the back of the wall and she was grateful this particular section of the bookstore was secluded, isolated from the public eye.

As she started reading the section about the affairs of Southeast Asia, her cell phone buzzed - a text from Sasuke.

_From: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_I hear you're going to tutor that kid on probation._

She sighed.

_To: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_What of it? You wouldn't take it._

A reply came before she could stuff her cell phone back into her bag.

_From: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_Sakura, he's really dumb._

_To: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_Not what I've heard._

_From: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_You know what you're getting into, right?_

_To: Sasuke Uchiha_  
_Perfectly well. _

Sakura waited a few minutes, but no reply came from Sasuke, and with that, she pushed her cell phone back into her bag and zipped it up, leaning once again against the wall as she read. She was never really fascinated with politics, but whoever this kid was, whatever person he turned out to be - he was clearly intending to do something with politics. That thought alone made Sakura feel sick, simply because she couldn't understand why someone would actively want to get involved with it in the first place. It was dirty and involved a lot of scandals and lying, and particularly bribery within the government - or so it said in this textbook.

Though, of course, she had no right to criticize, since her own mother was an expatriate.

As a child, Sakura had moved around many different countries all across each continent - including Africa. She remembered having to say goodbye to friends she had made in one year, knowing that her fate had already been decided when she was born. No one got to choose their parents, and while she was thankful to have had as much exposure to different cultures, she felt as though she didn't have a real sense of home.

It was the problem of a third culture kid, and she smiled softly when she read that people like her were in demand for jobs, these days.

Growing up, Sakura had difficulties making friends because of the very fact that she knew she would have to say goodbye to them in a year minimum, two years maximum. Her mother loved her job and very clearly loved Sakura as well as her father, but sometimes that didn't feel like enough. The way Sakura looked at it, her father had to give up so many of the things he loved for her mother's job, and although she was a child, Sakura had given up a normal childhood - though that wasn't really a choice.

Blame wasn't the word Sakura used when she thought of her mother - it was loneliness.

She shook her head of negative thoughts and read on, reminding herself she only had a few days before she had to go find the guy who got into so much trouble that Dean Senju put him on probation. She still found herself amused at the thought, but the sentiment passed on quickly as she moved onto the next section - how to contribute to acountry's economy.

Fighting the urge to groan, she settled for rolling her eyes.

Lately, her sleep schedule had been a little off and she couldn't get more than four hours of sleep, which in university life, was more than enough. She had become so accustomed to sleeping more than six hours after high school, that this was emotionally and physically taxing for her. She was only halfway through the second textbook when she felt herself slumping over, her body finally giving in to the fatigue it had to deal with everyday. Fighting hard to keep her eyes open, Sakura began to rub her temples, but it didn't help. Figuring it would probably be more productive to stay that way at least until she was feeling a little bit rested, she placed the textbook next to her, keeping it open to the page she was reading. Her eyes fell close, and for the first time in years, she dreamt of the sea: where she often went to play when she was a child, where she felt safest.

It was _hours_ before Sakura came to, and it was only because someone was looming over her, their hand on her forehead. Her eyes widened and she started to push them off, but they removed their hand before she got the chance. She took a few deep breaths and sat up, rubbing the back of her neck - which felt a little sore - before her eyes focused and there was a shop clerk sitting before her, his large, blue eyes staring at her in worry. He chuckled when she groaned and rubbed her temples, feeling a tiny headache come on.

"You okay there?" he asked, his voice raspy.

"Was I… asleep?"

"Guess so. I was just closing the bookstore."

"Huh?"

"It's closing hours."

If there was a window for her to look out at, she would have, but instead, she reached for her bag and pulled out her cell phone, to which she found five texts from Ino asking where she was. Letting out a heavy sigh, she began gathering her things before she attended to the textbooks, about to put them back in their place, when the store clerk stopped her.

"International relations major?" he asked.

"What? No, I, uh. Just had to read up on some stuff," she answered.

"For fun?"

"Something like that."

Satisfied with her answer, he nodded and smiled as he picked up the books with a glint in his eyes. Sakura stood up and faced him, thinking that he looked vaguely familiar. The guy flashed her a smile - and it was bright and wide. It felt fresh, and Sakura's bones and joints felt as though warmth was being pressed against her, making her feel at ease. She smiled back, a little embarrassed.

"How did you find me? That area is pretty secluded, isn't it?"

"Well," he said, "I always check the aisles before closing up. Procedure."

"I see," she answered.

"And…" he said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"And what?"

Laughing, the guy patted her on the head before he looked at her again, his expression soft.

"You were snoring."

Although it took a few seconds to register, Sakura's reaction was immediate. Her cheeks went red because, well, who the hell falls asleep in a bookstore when they're reading a textbook? Moreover, this was Sakura - she never fell asleep when she was reading something! It was the reason almost everyone went to her for advice on how to study: because she paid so much attention to detail. She ducked her head and held her face while the store clerk laughed, a raspy yet bright sound.

_Shit_, she thought, _that's embarrassing._

"Um, sorry," she finally said, when her cheeks weren't so flushed.

"No worries! You seemed pretty tired. You been sleeping?"

"Uh, not as much as I normally do."

"Finals, huh?"

"Yeah," she lied.

Averting her eyes to get a good look at him, Sakura found that he was pretty cute, too (which made things even more embarrassing). He was only a little tanner than her and his hair was blond - though not the platinum blond that people at KNU seemed to take a liking to. His features were prominent, but he still managed to appear kind and gentle. Smiling brightly at her, Sakura felt her eyes widen at the magnitude of happiness and warmth it carried.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Sakura Haruno."

"Oh, I've heard about you! You dated that Sasuke guy," he said, his tone surprised.

"Ah, yeah."

"He's kind of a dick, huh?"

Sakura laughed.

"A little."

"Well, my name's Naruto Uzumaki. Pleasure to meet ya!"

Naruto held out his hand, and after just a few seconds of admiring his smile, Sakura took it and they shook - very formal, but he just continued to smile at her, as though this was the most natural thing he knew. Sakura felt her lips spread into a kind smile of her own, and this was when Sakura understood -

Things would suddenly seem less grey than they had always been.


	2. the one with the study date

Unedited because I think things that are light-hearted shouldn't be dwelled on, especially by someone like me. I might make it heart-wrenching if I am given time to think about this one long enough.

\- shina

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The sun hadn't come up yet when Sakura went to the kitchen downstairs, hoping to brew some coffee for the rest of her day. In her hand, she held her cell phone while with her other hand, she poured herself some cereal. Her fingers swiped across the screen and she knew the only reason she wasn't checking her email was because she knew her professor's email would be waiting for her.

In all honesty, she wasn't expecting it to be that bad. The fact that both Sasuke and Ino kept pestering her about her new student? _That's_ what worried her.

Lifting the rim of the mug to her lips, she sipped quietly and slowly while she opened the envelope icon, knowing that there was no point in avoiding what she knew was already there. There had been many times when she had been warned by Sasuke, been annoyed by Ino, when she was to tutor someone. Surely, just as the universe always worked things out in her favor, this student would be no different than the rest, if albeit a little slow. Her cereal was halfway chewed in her mouth when she read the email, detailing the meeting place, the time, and how long she was supposed to meet him for. Of course, there was his name.

_Naruto Uzumaki._

There have been more than a few moments in Sakura's life when she dreaded tutoring someone - but this person - the very person who had caught her snoring in the bookstore while she was _reading_ the damn books to help him study? It was ironic and contrary to popular belief as well as the people she hung around who happened to love irony - she was no fan of it. She set her cell phone aside and poured herself some more coffee, sighing as the caffeine flourished throughout her bloodstream and slowly woke up the crooks and crannies in her limbs and joints. She sighed and placed her bowl in the sink when she heard a yawn near the stairs. She looked towards the steps and saw Ino (or her bedhead, rather) and gave a warm smile.

"Morning, sunshine," she said pleasantly.

"Ugh," Ino replied, "shut _up._ I will never understand you waking up this early."

"Fresh coffee."

"As if you can't get that from Starbucks."

Sakura chuckled.

"Ino, you do know that Starbucks serves their coffee with a lot of sugar."

"Isn't that the point?"

Sakura watched as her best friend, with words in her mouth about how Starbucks existed for morning coffee, grabbed a mug and poured herself the very black coffee she said she detested. When university first started and she partied with Ino, they had to figure out a way to stay awake during the day to pay attention in their classes, and that was when Sakura found she loved black coffee - and that Ino didn't. Still, the blonde listened when her best friend urged her to drink it to stay awake during the day, and promised that someday, she'd grow to love the taste. Sakura, while trying not to laugh most of the time, was patiently awaiting the day Ino would _ask_ her for some coffee instead of condemning it.

"So what're you doing today? You don't have any classes, right?" Ino asked as she sat at the counter.

"Nah," Sakura mused, "but I have to tutor someone."

Ino paused from taking another sip, narrowing her eyes. There was never a look that Sakura hated more.

"Is it that kid i my department?"

"Yeah."

"I don't understand why you have to tutor him."

"You're right," Sakura laughed, "I don't understand either."

"So can't you ditch?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'm part of the National Honors' Society - I have to do it."

"This is _university_. I don't know why we even have that program."

Truthfully, Sakura sort of liked being part of that society, because while it meant that most of the time, she couldn't choose who she tutors, she gets plenty of extracurricular activity, which would look good on her resumé. In this day and age, no one really cared that she was a medical student - they still wanted to _see_ that she had gotten involved in university life. From time to time, she had to admit that she got sick of the same routine, but it was difficult to break out of habit. To be frank, she was more afraid that she was in a rut than she was afraid that she might be overworked.

"Want me to wait for you?" Ino asked.

"Nah, that's okay. I might be late."

"Okay, just don't yell at me when I start the next episode without you."

"Hey!" Sakura scolded.

"You _said_ not to wait."

"Yeah, but do other things! Please, avoid your laptop."

The blonde smirked and left with a bowl of cereal, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts. Perhaps tutoring the guy that woke her up from her snoring in the bookstore would be a fresh breath of air. Sakura mostly ignored things that could potentially reveal her true colors to everyone else, but the fact still stood that no one, besides Ino and Sasuke, thought of her as someone orderly. Someone with responsibility.

Not even her professors knew she was actually far from that.

* * *

Despite drinking coffee at home before she left, Sakura found herself in line at the local Starbucks, moving rather quickly through the line to make her order. Whoever the barista was, Sakura figured they were very skilled at their job. She checked her phone for the time and was a little annoyed that she was still an hour earlier than Naruto Uzumaki. She thought about his name - it was one that you got stuck in your head, one that rolled easily off your tongue, and somehow, there was a kind of aura emitted from how it sounded. Not being able to put a finger on it was more annoying than Sakura thought. She repeated the syllables in her head countless times, until the voice of the barista snapped her back to reality.

"Next!"

Sakura stepped forward, and when she saw who was behind the counter, her jaw dropped. He blinked a few times and she knew he was grunting at the unfortunate timing of the events, especially because Sakura couldn't understand how _Sasuke_ had managed to keep this a secret for so long. She stared at him and smirked, and with a particularly hard stare, Sakura ordered her coffee in a haste.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her tone amused.

"Paying off loans."

"By being a barista?"

"Better than being the teachers' pet and tutoring twenty-four-seven."

"_Hey_ \- I am not a teachers' pet. You just happen to be naturally rude."

"Uh-huh. Look, this one's on me if you shut it," he said bitterly.

From the other end of the counter, her name was called to announce her two cups of coffee had been made. She glanced at Sasuke, whose expression had turned from bothered to extremely annoyed. Kissing her hand and blowing it towards him, she started for the other end of the counter. The barista at that end gave her a sweet smile, and Sakura was struck by her long, purple hair, tied into a neat ponytail underneath her hat. It hung off her shoulder swayed with each movement she made, and Sakura pretended not to notice the much-too-long glances she gave Sasuke, taking the two cups in her hands and leaving the cafe.

"Man, of all places for him to work," Sakura muttered, more than a little amused that her ex-boyfriend chose a part-time job that involved interacting with a lot of people - the one thing he hated most.

Placing the cups on a wooden bench, Sakura took a seat and crossed her legs as she glanced left and right for the blond-haired store clerk. Checking her cell phone, she saw that there was a missed call from her mother. Sakura was more than sure that all girls, all women, had some complex with their mothers and it was only a matter of time before it all worked itself out, and before long, they would turn into best friends. In truth, Sakura hadn't quite reached there with her mother yet, and she wasn't sure she wanted to start. She slid her thumb across the screen and stared at the contact display before she pressed the cell phone to her ear gently.

It rang for less than five seconds before her mother answered.

"Hey," Sakura breathed, "what's up?"

"Oh, Sakura! I just wanted to know if you're coming home for summer vacation."

"Uh," she stuttered, "I don't think so."

A silence filled her ears and Sakura could almost hear her mother frowning.

"Honey… I know you're upset about your father -"

"I'm not upset."

"So you'll come home?"

Everyday, Sakura was finding it harder to speak to her mother. Her father called in every once in a while to check up on her, and he was always pleasant, always sounded happier than when he was married to her mother - but he was also the reason Sakura put up with her mother after high school. It was getting increasingly difficult to make up excuses when she knew her mother could thwart them and use the divorce as a reason for the awful excuses. Of course, she wasn't wrong, but Sakura would rather prefer to avoid drama. She was sick of it.

As she looked up towards the middle of the town, she saw a blond-haired man headed her way with his book bag on one shoulder and one hand in his pocket. He slowed when he came closer to Sakura, and she knew it dawned upon him that he found her in the bookstore, and just as she was about to lower her face sheepishly, he flashed her a bright smile. She blinked a few times, not quite sure whether he was smiling at her or the fact that he _remembered_ where he first met her.

"Sakura?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Mom, can I call you later?"

"Sure, honey. Let me know."

If there was one thing Sakura learned while tutoring other students and helping them manage their time, it was that you always wanted to appear friendly but have an authoritative aura around you. She smiled back at the man and pushed her cell phone back into her bag. When he was out of the uniform that he wore at the bookstore, Sakura could see that he had an _awful_ fashion sense. Who wore orange with grey?

"What're you doing here?" he asked when he was close enough.

"What about you?"

"Waiting for a tutor," he grinned.

Sakura stared at him until slowly, realization fell onto his face. Instead of the horror that she felt when she saw his name in her email, he gave an even bigger grin.

"You're _shitting_ me!"

"Um, no. I'm your tutor."

"I _knew_ you were smart!"

"You got that from me reading international relations textbooks?"

"Nah. You have that air about you."

Darting his gaze towards the second cup of coffee, he raised his eyebrows in question.

"I got that for you. Thought it might be good to freshen you up."

Her fingers brushed against his as she handed him the cup, but she had made up her mind - third year of university was always difficult for most people, and she would not get involved. Plus, she was only there to tutor him. He didn't know anything real about her and vice versa. If they kept it on a name basis and they were just known as 'teacher and student,' Sakura would be more than happy to engage. She looked up at him and his eyes watched her closely as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Needless to say, Naruto Uzumaki wasn't subtle about staring at people.

"So," Sakura said, desperate to break the silence, "library?"

"Yeah, sure. What's your name?"

"Sakura Haruno."

He chuckled, a sound that echoed in her ears.

"You're really formal."

"Just being as formal as you the other day."

Naruto nodded and held up his hands in surrender. A few people passed by them as they walked to the library, and Sakura was sort of thankful that he didn't seem like he was much of a talker. Obviously, she never would have guessed, considering the fact that he was _incredibly_ charming. He opened the library door and insisted she went in first, and with a smile, Sakura allowed him to be a gentleman. He set his coffee cup on a table and took his seat next to her.

"You're awfully quiet," he whispered finally.

"We're in a library."

"Yeah, but people still find ways to talk in the library."

"Not me."

He took out one textbook and set it before him, his expression somewhat annoyed as he flipped through chapters to find the one that was marked with a post-it note. Sakura's brow furrowed as she watched him take out a notebook and begin to scribble down notes, which, as a medical student, astonished her. She tapped on his textbook with her own pen.

"Have you read that chapter?"

"No."

"So why are you taking notes?"

"Because that's what you do when you're given an assignment to read and take notes?"

"Not like that."

Highlighters of different colors were made in Naruto's textbook about an hour later, and Sakura watched proudly as the guy seemed to be reading before he wrote anything down or highlighted anything. His brow was scrunched, which was universal language for concentration. She opened up her laptop and stifled a smile when she saw that she hadn't minimized her window from when she was watching _Friends_ the previous night. With a few clicks and taps, she was faced with an essay that was due in one month, but she began skimming over what she had written before Naruto spoke up.

"Is this what they call tutoring?"

"You haven't finished your reading."

"Yeah, I know, but, is this what you do when you tutor someone?"

"No," she sighed, "after they've read something and taken notes, I give them time to study their notes."

"And then?" he inquired.

"I quiz them."

A low whistle left Naruto's lips as he raised his eyebrows and settled in his seat, sitting up straighter.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"They weren't kidding when they said you were strict."

"They?"

"The Deans."

Sighing, Sakura angled her laptop away so she could take a look at Naruto's notes. His handwriting was illegible to her and she frowned at the thought that, despite being his own handwriting, he might not be able to study it for when she tested him. They were all in bullet points and clearly, this guy hadn't learned cursive properly when he was a grade schooler.

"Can you _read_ that?" she asked.

"For the most part."

"For the _most_ part?"

"Yeah," he said, "I write down general ideas."

If jaws could actually drop to the floor, Sakura felt that her jaw would have been broken from the impact. She rubbed her temples - a tactic she found useful when trying to say something nicely - and she craned her neck. Naruto grinned at her and she sighed.

"Naruto, that's not how this works."

"Why not?"

"Because you can't _read_ your notes."

"It works out fine right before the tests."

"Is that when you study?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Yeah! I cram better than I study."

"_No one_ crams better than they study. People cram better than other people, sure, but -"

"So what do you suggest then?" his expression seemed sheepish.

Bringing her seat closer, Sakura began to explain to Naruto the other types of note-taking; mind-mapping, color-coordinating and the like. Naruto listened intently though he did zone out a few times, in which case, Sakura tapped his forehead with her pen. He leaned his head in his palm and watched her, and for more than half of her explanation, Sakura felt as though he was grinning subtly.

Given his character, he probably _was_ grinning.

"Did that help?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

It was silent for only a few minutes before Naruto looked up from his textbook and notes again, his expression thoughtful.

"Are you that girl who moved around a lot as a kid?"

"What?" she said, startled.

"People say you moved around a lot, that's why you're understanding and accepting."

"Uh," Sakura began, "that's kind of… true. Personal, but true."

"Why is it personal?"

"It's just not something I like to talk about."

Naruto nodded, the lines of his forehead smoothing out, and Sakura couldn't help but remember her mother used to tell her that people with big foreheads were bright people. She touched her own then, and surely, Naruto's forehead could never compare to hers - but it was large in and of itself. Her eyes watched his hands for a bit longer and she noticed his knuckles were dented, and that she could see the veins on his arms. She turned her head back towards her laptop to avoid him catching her staring at him and coming up with a cheesy line.

She barely even _knew_ the guy, but she felt at peace, somehow.

"Done," Naruto said, a smile of achievement on his face.

"Good," Sakura replied, "now, study them. Your quiz won't be easy."

* * *

After consistent offering, Sakura finally agreed to have Naruto walk her home. He told her stories about his teenage years and she laughed in the right places, particularly because she could see the guy very well, given the circumstances. His eyes were like light when he talked about why he was majoring in international relations, and a part of her heart warmed at the sight.

"What about you?" he asked, "Why medical school?"

"I want to help people."

"That can't be the only reason," he chuckled.

"Okay, fine! The money is always good," she replied a little begrudgingly.

They continued walking long enough for Sakura to notice that they had taken the long route back to the sorority house. She glanced at Naruto, only to find that he had been watching her face the entire time. Sweat covered the surface of her palms and she quickly wiped them on her pants.

"You know," Naruto said, "you seem to have it together."

"I do?"

"Yeah. Like you know exactly what you're doing."

"I have flaws," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I know," Naruto breathed, smiling. Then, "I can't wait to know what they are."

Whipping her head to look at him, Sakura saw a grin spreading across Naruto's lips. Her eyes stayed fixed on his face, and when she didn't move, Naruto's face fell.

"What's wrong? What'd I say?" he asked.

"Look, you're really nice," she began, "but I'm really not looking to -"

"That's okay."

It was short, clipped, but just as quickly as he answered, Naruto regained his composure and gestured towards the path back to her sorority. There was a somewhat heavy weight on her shoulders, and Sakura realized that she might have hurt his feelings. She bit her lip in contempt, and when they reached the front porch, she felt as though she was going to explode from unsaid words.

"Naruto, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"Nah, that's okay," he answered, smile as wide as ever. "I only meant that because we're spending a lot of time together. Because you're tutoring me."

"Oh," Sakura said flatly, embarrassment spreading across her cheeks.

Clearly, she had misread his natural charm for being flirty - mistaking it for actually having a crush on her. It wasn't high school, and she had to remind herself that both her and Naruto were adults. This kind of happening didn't happen anymore in university. She laughed it off, which prompted Naruto to raise his eyebrows but laugh nonetheless, and Sakura had never wanted more to sink into the earth than at that moment.

"So there's a party this weekend," Naruto said.

"You have to study."

"Aw, come on! Not even one party?"

"Not until you pass that exam, Naruto. I mean it."

Naruto stared at her before he smiled, as though surrendering to her. She smiled back, liking the fact that he was more of a jokester than she had predicted him to be. Maybe she was liking it more than she should, but she did nonetheless. There was a warmth about him that she couldn't ignore, but she briefly closed her eyes and chased her thoughts away before she opened them again and bade him goodnight.

"I'll text you when our next session is," she said.

"Great! Can't wait!"

"To study?" she laughed.

"More like free coffee."

They chuckled at each other and with a wave, Sakura closed the door behind her. She leaned against it for a few seconds and took a few liberating breaths, cleansing her heart from dark paths. The house was unusually quiet, though that probably meant that most of them were out at parties getting wasted and passing out in someone's bed. One day, Sakura resolved to move out from there into her own apartment, with Ino at her side.

When she fell asleep later that night, Sakura dreamt of blue eyes and a large grin, of death and remorse, of her forehead brushing against his as she held him, crying and weeping as though she lost a war.


End file.
